1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the invention relates to devices which adjust an amount of vibration of heads of musical drums. More specifically, the invention relates to such devices which selectively control a release of air from a body of the musical drum during play to control a transmission of sound waves through the air within the musical drum between a striking head of the musical drum and a resonate head of the musical drum thus controlling the sound produced by the musical drum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous methods exist to tune, or otherwise adjust, an audio output of a musical drum. It is often desirable to perform such adjustment at set up time depending upon variables specific to the location where the performance is to occur. Additionally, it is often desirable to perform such adjustment during short pauses or breaks during the actual performance to correct any perceived imperfections in the audio output from a specific musical drum.
Musical drums which have a resonate head transfer at least some of their audio output via a vibration of the resonate head in response to vibration of the striking head caused by an initial impact of the striking head. The initial vibration of the resonate head occurring because of displacement of air within the interior of the musical drum from the striking head to the resonate head. The continued vibration of the heads occurs, at least in part, because of continued disturbance of the air within the interior of the musical drum between the striking head and the resonate head. It is known in the art to provide for apertures in a head of the musical drum to control a transfer of vibration between the striking head and the resonate head. Such transfer being controlled by allowing some of the air within the body of the musical drum to pass through the apertures and therefore reduce the transfer of vibration between the heads.
A conventional method of adjusting a musical drum involves adjusting a tension of the striking head of the musical drum and/or adjusting a tension of the resonate head of the musical drum. This method satisfactorily provides for adjustment of the audio output in many instances. Unfortunately, this method is time consuming due to the radial arrangement of the tension members about each head of the musical drum and the desire for uniform tension between each of the tension members of the respective head.
Another conventional method of adjusting a musical drum involves adjustment of head contact members which are in physical contact with either of the heads, either the striking or resonate, and with the body of the musical drum. Such contact members are designed to restrict and limit an amount and/or duration of vibration of the applicable head. This is the result of the head being in physical communication with the body of the musical drum at an area of the head within the boundaries of a radially disposed bearing edge formed by the radially disposed edge of the body of the musical drum. Such contact tending to adversely alter the duration of time that the head vibrates as well as the amount of initial vibration. Typically such head contact members either contact a fixed point on the membrane of the head or radially contact the periphery of the membrane of the head. Single contact point assemblies typically have tension adjustment means to allow adjustment of the amount of pressure brought to bear upon the membrane. Radial contact assemblies typically have multiple contact members with one of the contact members selected for deployment in order to make the desired adjustment.
Yet another conventional method of adjusting a musical drum involves placing a damping member within the body of the musical drum between the striking head of the musical drum and the resonate head of the musical drum. Placement of the damping member may involve physical contact with one or both of the heads of the musical drum. Such damping members are designed to effect a transfer of vibration through the air within the musical drum between the striking head and the resonate head and, when in contact with a head, reduce the amount and/or duration of vibration of the head. Unfortunately, this method lacks the fine tuning capabilities desired by musicians and also hinders the musical drum""s full sonic potential.
It is known in the art to provide various structures which effect the audio output of the musical drum which are not true adjustment methods, but rather enhance other conventionally known adjustment methods. One example of such structures involve placement of passageways, in the form of a series of pinholes, on one of the heads. Another example of such structures involve heads having two separate membranes typically with a liquid material, such as an oil, positioned therebetween.
As can be seen various attempts have been made to provide for selective variation of the audio output from musical drums. These attempts have been less efficient than desired primarily because they fail to provide for selective variation of an amount of air which may escape from the interior of the musical drum. As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a method of adjusting a musical drum which is easy and quick to perform and which yields a rich and varied range of audio outputs. The present invention substantially fulfills these needs.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of musical drum adjustment devices your applicant has devised a method of adjusting a musical drum to obtain a selective variation of a sound of an audio output from the musical drum. The method involves providing a passageway in a membrane while the membrane is positioned on an end of the musical drum, either the striking end or resonate end, while the membrane is either provided with the passageway positioned thereon or is formed in an existing membrane of the musical drum, providing a blocking member and providing means to position the blocking member relative to the passageway of the membrane.
My invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in the particular combinations of them herein disclosed and it is distinguished from the prior art in these particular combinations of these structures for the functions specified.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide for a simple and efficient method of controlling sound produced by a musical drum by controlling the transfer of vibration between the heads of the musical drum.
Other objects include;
a) to provide for adjustment of a musical drum wherein the adjustment may occur extremely fast wherein the musician may make the desired adjustments and immediately continue to play.
b) to provide for adjustment of a musical drum wherein the head does not need to be removed and replaced to make the adjustment.
c) to provide for adjustment of a musical drum-wherein the head does not need to be removed and replaced with another head to make adjustment.
d) to provide for adjustment of a musical drum wherein the adjustment occurs at the resonate head of the musical drum.
e) to provide for adjustment of a musical drum wherein the adjustment occurs at the striking head of the musical drum.
f) to provide for a placement of a passageway on a membrane of the head where the passageway is selectively blocked, in whole or in part, to provide the desired adjustment.
g) to provide for a plurality of passageways on the membrane where the passageways are selectively blocked, in whole or in part, to provide the desired adjustment.
h) to provide for a blocking member having a plurality of passageways thereon where a select passageway of the blocking member is selectively positioned relative to a passageway of the membrane to provide the desired adjustment.
i) to provide for the blocking member utilized for the adjustment to not have an adverse effect upon the vibration characteristics of the associated head.
j) to provide for a plurality of blocking members having unique characteristics to be available for selective positioning relative to the passageway of the membrane.